Rail lifter



A. JERSEY RAIL LIFTER Filed Dec, 22, 1935 Patented Aug. 28, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE RAIL LIFTER Arthur Jersey, Butte, Mont. ApplicationDecember 22, 1933, Serial No. 703,501

2 Claims. (01.254-121) The invention relates to devices for raising arailroad rail from a tie upon which it is resting.

In railroad practice, as is well known, the rails rest upon and arespiked to a series of crossties which are embedded in the roadbed, a tieplate being interposed between the rail and each tie. In maintaining thetrack in proper condition it is necessary at times to replace the tieplate, and this work should be done without interrupting traffic. It isaccomplished by removing the spikes from the tie at which thereplacement is neces sary, and then raising the rail from the tiesufficiently to permit the removal of the old plate and the insertion ofa new one.

The elevating of the rail requires considerable force, as it remainsattached to the adjacent ties and they must be raised slightly with it.Heretofore it has been the practice to use a jack for thus raising therails. This implement is heavy and cumbersome, and slow in its action,and is frequently attended by considerable danger of injury to theworkman.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means foraccomplishing this work in that the implement is comparatively light,and hence easy to carry about and apply; enables the workman to useample force to separate the rail from the tie; is very quick in itsaction; and its use is not attended with any danger of injury.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described, and isillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a detailcross-section of a railroad track with the improved track raiser in use;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the implement; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The rail being lifted is represented at 10, and the tie from which it isbeing separated is shown at 11. A tie plate 12 is shown as resting uponthe tie and in position to be thrust under the raised rail.

The lifting tool is in the form of a fork or U- shaped head, andcomprises a cross-member l3 and a pair of forwardly projecting arms 14,one at each end of the member 13. A shank 15 projects backwardly fromthe cross-member 13, and is longitudinally socketed, as shown at 16, toreceive a lining bar 17 as a handle. A set-screw 18 enters the socket 16laterally for the purpose of binding the bar to the shank. The lowerface of the cross-member 13 is provided with a rib 19, which is broughtroughly to a knife edge in order that it may bite into the tie 11. Thearms 14 are brought to a point, as indicated at 20, in order that theymay be thrust into the ballast 21 if, as is often the case, its uppersurface is even with the top of the tie.

The lining bar 16 is a tool in common use in the laying and repairing oftracks, its forward end being square in section, tapering approximatelyto a point to enable it to be thrust into the ballast in employing itfor the uses for which it is immediately intended. This bar is of amplelength to provide the necessary leverage for the lifting tool to enablea workman to lift the rail 10 from the tie.

In applying the lifter its arms or prongs are thrust into the ballastunder the rail, or between the ballast and the rail, its cross-barresting upon the tie 11. Downward pressure upon the lining bar, nowacting as the power end of a lever, raises the rail from the tie asufficient distance to permit a proper placement of the tie plate 12.The rail being now lowered, the necessary spikes for securing the railto the tie may be driven into the latter.

I claim as my invention- 1. A rail lifter comprising a head having atransverse member and a pair of arms extending from one side thereofspaced to straddle an ordinary railway tie, and a shank extending fromthe opposite side of the member having a socket for receiving a handlein substantially the planeof the arms, each of the arms being pointed toadapt the head to be thrust into the track ballast beneath the tie.

'2. A rail lifter comprising a head having a transverse member and apair of arms extending from one side thereof spaced to straddle anordinary railway tie, a longitudinal fulcrum rib formed on thetransverse member and provided with a knife edge configuration adaptedto bite into the tie, and a shank extending from the side of thetransverse member opposite the arms having a socket for receiving ahandle in substantially the plane of the arms, each of the arms beingpointed to adapt the head to be thrust into the track ballast beneaththe tie, and each of the arms having its upper or rail-engaging surfacesubstantially parallel to the axis of the socket.

ARTHUR JERSEY.

